By Serenity Armstrong
Howard University News Service
WASHINGTON – For centuries, Black literature and art were destroyed and plagiarized while Black individuals were “inhumanely” beaten, imprisoned and killed for even attempting to learn to read or write.
Ongoing prejudice and inequalities further perpetuate the resulting literacy gap, limiting education and social mobility opportunities for the Black community.
Despite facing systemic discrimination, Black authors and illustrators continue to publish works providing representation critical to improving historically low and disparate literacy rates among Black children and adults, according to recent studies.
Between 2017 and 2023, the average adult literacy score dropped more than 10 points.
This marked nearly 50 million Americans unable to read above a third-grade level.
According to the assessment, Black adults comprised a disproportionate number, with half scoring in the lowest literacy range or below.
Research indicates books with Black authors and illustrators “exponentially” increase literacy rates – not only for Black individuals but also for white and other ethnic groups.
However, only about 5% of published books have Black creators, according to Lee & Low Books’ quadrennial report.
“It is not a lack of desire that hinders Black students from developing their literacy skills,” English teacher Aleah Felton said. “Rather, it is possible that the methods no longer support the literacy development.”
In a curriculum project, Felton explained that Black students are more inclined to focus and engage when other Black voices are involved in class content, using her experience as an example.
“My academic career consisted of a standard white canon of literature,” Felton said. “I lost my love for reading. No amount of threatening from my mother could have persuaded me to read for school.”
Felton’s interest in reading rekindled with her discovery of a Black-authored book in the fifth grade.
“For me, there was a direct correlation between Black authorship’s presence in the classroom, my engagement in the set curriculum, and my skill development,” she said.
Still, publishers overlook many Black authors, and representation in literature largely remains minimal or nonexistent in public school systems.
Exclusion and Publishing Obstacles
To publish a book, authors have two main routes: traditional publishing and self-publishing.
In traditional publishing, authors must find a literary agent willing to present their manuscripts to publishing houses and negotiate contracts.
Meanwhile, self-publishers complete the entire publishing process themselves, including editing, designing, printing and marketing.
Kathy Anderson and Karen Bowlding, consultants for Black children’s book authors in the Washington D.C., metropolitan area, published research last year detailing the obstacles faced by Black book creators.
“Traditional publishing has a pronounced and unjust deficiency of Black and African American voices,” their research stated. “Mostly white literary agents are gatekeepers, and acquisition editors shut the doors too frequently to non-white authors.”
More than 80% of the traditional publishing industry is controlled by five “white-dominated” companies: Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group and Macmillan.
These companies’ values, beliefs and majority white editors influence who and what is published.
“There are proposals that come along, and you know in your heart that this is an important book on an important subject,” the research stated, citing Tracy Sherrod, an editorial director at HarperCollins at the time. “But, because the editorial room is all white, you may not be able to acquire it.”
Creative nonfiction editor and Howard University English professor Sufiya Abdur-Rahman could not traditionally publish her 2021 memoir, “Heir to the Crescent Moon.”
“I started looking for agents, and the process for doing that was very slow,” she said. “Agents would not get back to you for a very long time. Then they would say no, so I felt like I was wasting a lot of time.”
For years, Abdur-Rahman attempted to publish her book, often finding herself being the only Black person in her writing spaces.
In search of community, she applied to the Voices of Our Nations Art Foundation, which hosts a writing conference for and by writers of color.
According to Abdur-Rahman, connecting with others in a more diverse setting is what allowed her to receive more positive responses and better feedback for “Heir to the Crescent Moon.”
She tried to find a publisher by herself and nearly gave up on the book before winning a competition with publishing as the prize.
“Without a contest like that, I seriously doubt that my book would have made it to the public’s eye,” Abdur-Rahman said. “If you’re doing something different that doesn’t have a built-in audience quite yet, [agents and publishers] are not as willing to take risks with that kind of work.”
Disproportionate Book Bans
Even after successfully publishing, many Black book creators face a risk of book ban that is more than four times greater than that of white creators.
In a limited snapshot of book censorship, the American Library Association reported that more than 4,000 books were challenged, marking a historic high in an “extremist campaign to suppress access to books that began in 2021.”
Meanwhile, data from PEN America showed a nearly 200% increase in school book bans between the 2022 and 2023 school years.
Of those banned in the latter, nearly 40% featured characters of color. Over a fourth in the historical and biographical genres featured Black figures.
The majority of banned books with visual content had illustrations regarding race, racism or characters of color.
“We can’t be silenced,” said Jody Paschal, an author and educator. “Whether we’re going through a traditional publishing house or we’re self-publishing, we have to make sure that our history is a must.”
Paschal feared her 2024 book “Groomed” would be banned.
“I wanted to publish it before the election happened because I didn’t know what was going to be happening,” she said. “That was terrifying. But again, I think it fueled me to write even more, just knowing that it was kind of an act of resistance.”
Considering the history of Black people in America, Paschal believes publishing her book was especially gratifying.
“They went through a lot, and I feel very blessed,” she said. “To put a story out there, I feel like I’m fulfilling our ancestors’ dream in some sort of way.”
Like Paschal, Stephanie Walcott, who works at Mahogany Books, said the disparity in book bans was disappointing but not surprising.
“Honestly, this political climate is not necessarily new,” Walcott said.
Organized efforts to restrict access to Black literature were documented since at least the 1920s.
Some attribute the most recent book-banning movement to the rise in legislation restricting Critical Race Theory following President Donald Trump’s order in September 2020.
Representation in the Literacy Crisis
Coinciding with the racial disparities in publishing and book bans is another racial disparity in reading literacy.
Similar to previous years, Black students scored lower in reading than students of any other race or ethnicity in the district and nearly every state, according to the “Nation’s Report Card.”
Many literacy advocates and educators argue that representation is necessary for improvement, making Black authors and illustrators key to the solution.
In addition, researchers conducted a causal study, showing that culturally relevant instruction increased student attendance, grade point average and total number of credits earned.
“As far as representation goes in general, it is always important to see someone like yourself in different spaces,” said Alexander Foley, a service clerk. “It just opens up a lot of avenues for younger generations to feel inspired to do the things that they would want to do.”
Maryland resident Olivia Hawkins emphasized how surprised she was by the lack of representation when she went to college.
“Growing up in [Prince George’s] County, it’s Black people everywhere. It’s amazing,” she said. “Then, for college, I went away. … It was like the world is white.”
Hawkins felt alienated. She described the change as a “culture shock,” expressing that the lack of representation definitely made a difference.
“Representation is important because Black people exist,” Hawkins said. “If you’re not including them in your stories and in your works of art, of written work, then you’re almost erasing them.”
Like Foley, Hawkins said underrepresentation could interfere with Black students’ participating and excelling in many areas, using her experience on the swim team as an example.
“In high school, we would go to these swim meets, and most of our team was Black. But, we were the only Black team there, and it was like anxiety,” said Hawkins, who was also the only Black girl on her college swim team.
Foley shared a similar experience. He said that the lack of representation creates stereotypes, making people – especially Black children – think certain things, like swimming, “were not for us.”
According to Anderson and Bowlding, this same concept also applies to reading.
They emphasized that representation was not equivalent to talking about slavery or any other “white-accepted” themes.
“Black and African American children’s books do not need to have an expressed diversity or activist focus for a child to relate,” their research stated. “Too many of these didactic books miss the excitement and joy of Black adventure, fantasy, friendship or outdoor activity.”
Demonstrating this sentiment, both Abdur-Rahman and Paschal praised their mothers for providing them with a variety of Black books throughout childhood.
“I remember my mother having to petition,” Paschal said. “Black people don’t all look the same. We don’t all experience the same, so seeing how other Black people live, experience, dream, work – it’s really, really important to influence us.”
Parents can find diverse book resources for children at Brown Kids Read, We Need Diverse Books and Black Baby Books.
Resources for teens and adults can be found on the African American Literature Book Club’s website.
Abdur-Rahman encouraged Black book creators to keep dreaming.
“Tell the stories of your own life and the people who are around you because those stories have value,” she said. “They are going to help somebody. … So, that resonance needs to happen on the page, and it needs to be there when you go to libraries and bookstores.”
Serenity Armstrong is a reporter and editor-in-chief of HUNewsService.com.
